Tuesday Recap from NHIA 2025
Tuesday morning at NHIA 2025 featured a breakfast symposium covering the clinical management of adverse reactions in immunoglobulin therapy, and our innovative 30-30-30 sessions that cover a central topic from 3 angles with unique perspectives. For example, IV workflow systems were examined from history of their development and use in hospital systems, to their current adoption in home infusion practice, and how to implement such a system if your organization chooses to operationalize one. In the Leadership Track 30-30-30, presenters built on methods with a dynamic exercise to illustrate techniques in effective communication that can benefit all teams.
After, the final day in the NHIA Expo was busy with attendees engaging with exhibitors at booths and the Learning Lab as well as networking throughout the hall and at lunch. The Infusion Suite Experience wrapped up it’s experiential education taking more than 350 attendees through a mock infusion suite audit.
The Hero’s Journey
At the Wednesday General Session, we recognized Maritza DeGagne, RPh with the Lynn Giglione Women in Leadership Award. In accepting the award, Maritza noted that her journey was not linear, but that’s what made it so rewarding. “We get to see first-hand the impact of home infusion—the comfort, the healing, the sense of independence,” she observed.
She dedicated the award to the clinicians she’s met along the way who demonstrated unwavering skill and commitment to exceptional outcomes. “I also want to thank all the mentors who taught me the essence of leadership—serving, supporting, and lifting up those around you. We are all part of a collective effort to make a difference.”
In her Keynote, Paula Stone Williams reminded attendees to be open to the hero’s journey. “It’s not a journey that most people want to take,” she observed, noting that from Shakespeare to Star Wars, the hero’s journey has the same elements. “An ordinary person is called to a road of trials, and at first the hero rejects the invitation. Then a spiritual guide gives the hero the courage to try the road, which leads to a deep, dark place—what St. John of the Cross called the ‘dark night of the soul,’” she continued.
“At this point, the hero feels lost, but it’s alright to be lost because lost is a place too,” she reasoned. “You can learn things there that you can’t learn anywhere else.” The hero may not have the tools to fight the dark place, but they have the ability,” she reassured attendees.
Paula explained that our brains process experiences into knowledge to be preserved. But only when we combine that knowledge with context will become wisdom. “Wisdom is the tool that allows the hero to see the light at the end of the tunnel, get the holy grail, and bring it to others.” Without going on the hero’s journey and obtaining the right tools, we cannot truly, deeply listen to others and work in the direction of those we’re serving.
Additional Education
Three blocks of education sessions on Tuesday afternoon provided more engaging learning opportunities. From patient advocacy with the Medicare administrative law judge to considerations in pediatric specialty infusions to integrating behavioral health into your practice, there was something for every discipline—clinicians, revenue cycle managers, operations managers, sterile compounders, and more.
Conference Standouts
The NHIA Innovation Award highlights the role ground-breaking products and services play in improving home infusion patient care and/or advancing operations. The 2025 Innovation Award recipient was announced as Mobility+ by Rockfield Medical Devices, a new elastomeric lightweight, mobile, silent enteral feeding system for patients aged 2 years and older, with gastrostomy or jejunostomy feeding tube. This enteral feeding system works mechanically without need for gravity or electricity, and is wearable, filling a gap between simple bolus/gravity systems and more complex pump systems.
The 2025 winner of the NHIF Outstanding Abstract Achievement Award is Leslie Myers, PharmD, IgCP of CSI Pharmacy for “Social Determinants of Health Impact on Participant Perception with Intravenous Immunoglobulin Therapy.” Honorable mention was awarded to Amy Braglia-Tarpey, MS, RD, CNSC from Amerita for “Home Parenteral Nutrition Diagnosis and Payer Trends: 2020-2023.”
Not “Jest” Another Networking Event
NHIA’s Signature Networking event celebrated April Fool’s Day with giant mural and one-of-a-kind food illusions, wordplay, puzzles, and a dynamic, challenging and socially-oriented scavenger hunt—complete with music, food, drinks, and lots of laughs. We are so inspired by this community and are proud to be able to serve the incredible companies and individuals that are making such a difference.
Thank you to our supporters:
IgNS for their support of the Breakfast Symposium
